Make Way for Green Energy Shipping

March 29, 2013

With concerns about climate change intensifying around the world, reducing our impact on the environment has become a defining trend and mandate for businesses in the 21st century. Businesses in almost every industry are setting up “green committees” to explore how they can reduce waste and dependency on carbon-based fossil fuels. The transport and shipping industry is also responding to the environmental call by developing cleaner fuels, reducing waste and providing recycling/reuse of shipping materials. Here are some important ways in which the transport and shipping industries are moving towards a greener and cleaner environment.

Green Trucking

Since 2007 in Canada, The Canadian Trucking Alliance, a non-profit organization representing transportation companies, brokers and freight forwarders has had an ambitious plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions of Canada’s trucking fleet. Under the plan, trucking companies receive incentives to turnover their older trucks for newer vehicles equipped with fuel efficiency technologies and devices. These new “EnviroTrucks” have virtually smog-free engines that incorporate existing anti-idling and aerodynamic technologies. When fully implemented across Canada’s entire fleet of heavy trucks, the CTA predicts the trucking industry could reduce fuel consumption by more than 4 billion litres and eliminate 11.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gases per year.

Reducing Waste

Reducing waste has become one of the most important ways in which businesses have been responding to the demand for a cleaner and more sustainable environment. These companies have come up with innovative projects to save energy, and reduce wastes being sent to landfills. In today’s increasingly popular crowdsourcing trend, more and more companies like GE are looking beyond their own premises for answers. The company recently challenged innovators to develop software tools aimed at improve hospital services and trim waste by up to $ 1 trillion per year. Other green innovations in shipping have come through close collaboration between shipping companies and wood pallet manufacturers.

Recycled Pallets

Another important green shipping initiative has been the emergence of recycled pallets. In the recent past, unused pallets represented a significant waste problem for businesses. Nowadays, high quality, heat treated pallets can often be reused at least two times. Older pallets can be sent to a chipper, and then they continue their journey as a source for biomass energy or as raw material for particle board production.

Herwood Inc. Pallets is a family owned and operated pallet manufacturing company providing businesses with a complete range of standard size wood pallets and crates. Offering full-cycle green production and a 100% recuperation policy, Herwood’s extensive experience will allow you to manage your pallets in the most environmentally sound and cost-efficient manner possible.